I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to a process and a product-by-process of a two-part cage nut and, more particularly, to a process and product-by-process of forming a two-pan cage nut from a single metal plate.
II. Background of the Invention
Cage nuts having a nut slidably mounted on a holding pan are well known. The nut is formed with a socket which may be threaded for receiving a machine screw or unthreaded for receiving a self-tapping screw. The holding part has a pair of opposed lateral walls which form a "cage" to guide the nut along a slide path on the holding part. The holding part is rigidly mounted to a wall or carrier plate for the mounting of a component. The slidable mounting of the nut in the cage part permits positioning of the nut within certain limits along the guide path to provide a tolerance for the mounting of the component.
Cage nuts are typically produced by forming the holding part and the nut separately, such as disclosed in European Patent No. 0391764B1 to Dubost. The holding part is formed with the lateral walls from one piece of metal, and the nut part is stamped out in a separate operation from another piece of metal. The nut is formed with a base plate having edges. The nut is then positioned on the holding plate and the lateral walls of the holding plate are bent inwardly to cover the edges of the base plate and assemble the parts together. However, such a process is relatively expensive because the two parts are produced in separate operations and then the parts are positioned and assembled together in a separate manufacturing step.
It is, thus, an object of the invention to provide a process for producing a two-part cage nut which is less expensive than previously known methods and processes.
It is another object of this invention to provide a two-part cage nut which is formed from a single metal plate.
These and other objects of the invention are accomplished by the invention as disclosed below.